Ethereal
by love comes and goes
Summary: If there was one thing that truly unsettled Caroline, it was when Damon did something out of character. Pure. Fluff.


**Second attempt at fluff!**

* * *

If there was one thing that truly unsettled Caroline, it was when Damon did something out of character. After two hundred something years, he was set in his ways, and being in a relationship with her didn't change that. Caroline wasn't all that different and was fine with it as long as they were in a committed relationship and had lots of sex. She only ever panicked when Damon did something out of the ordinary because that almost always meant that something was wrong.

Like at that moment.

"You're willing to come with me?" Damon shrugged and glared. He was behaving normally at least. Still stunned, she reiterated, "And you're willing to pay for a whole new wardrobe."

"I said so didn't I?" Damon muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"You hate shopping," Caroline deadpanned. "Did you lose a bet against Alaric?"

He scowled and Caroline felt she had hit the nail on the head. Deciding to take pity on him, she smiled seductively, wrapping her arms around his neck, and gaining his attention. Damon rose an eyebrow in askance.

"You know that includes lingerie, right?"

Smirking, he grabbed her ass and picked her up, and took her right then and there against the wall.

* * *

"What bet?"

"The one that Damon lost so he had to buy me a new wardrobe," Caroline clarified.

"I haven't even seen Damon in a week," Alaric stated with furrowed brows. "And we haven't made any bets last I checked."

Confused, she thanked Alaric for his time and hung up the phone. Perplexed, she could not understand why the hell he would willingly go shopping with her the day before.

"I didn't want it to be a big deal," Damon voiced, appearing at the doorway. It pulled her from her thoughts.

"Is something wrong?" Caroline asked curiously. Damon looked away, almost petulantly.

"When's the last time we went out on a date?" he asked instead.

"Um, three days ago?" The answer looked like it surprised Damon.

"Three days ago?" he questioned confused.

"You made me dinner," Caroline explained, wondering what the hell was going on.

"I do that all the time," Damon clarified.

"Yep. It's really cute and romantic. You don't think so?" Honestly, she was further baffled by the line of questioning.

"Doesn't it seem too... simple?" Damon wondered with odd tint of stubbornness. Was the thought really that hard to wrap his head around?

"You put effort into doing something for me—especially the really elaborate dishes that clearly take time. Why wouldn't I love you more for it?" It almost felt like they were questioning the integrity of their relationship. Did Damon not hold stock on the little things? Caroline thought that it was the little things that mattered, especially when it came from Damon who was terrible with grand gestures of love. If those little things weren't sprinkled with love then what did that mean...

"I knew I loved you for a reason," Damon interrupted her thinking. He got that soft look in his eye that made her blush and feel foolish for doubting him and letting her insecurities get the better of her—even after all these years.

Damon shoved his hand in his pocket and procured a ring, forcing Caroline to freeze. It was a good thing she was already dead, otherwise she would have died already from the lack of oxygen. He didn't make any outward signs to her reaction, though she was sure he was aware of it. In fact, Damon acted as if she wasn't there, simply twirling the elegant ring around his fingers with a strange, speculative intensity. It was a silver band with a pale blue diamond in the center with smaller dark blue diamonds circling around it. The complimentary colors—their eyes—enraptured her. The diamonds sparkled in a way that couldn't be of her own machination.

It was ethereal—beautiful.

"I thought I had to earn you or win you over for some reason," Damon said, finally looking up at her with a smirk. She would get annoyed if she wasn't still fixated on the ring that was still between his fingers. It gave Caroline the ability to admire it and squeal like a teenage girl. Internally of course. "Apparently, I don't have to do that."

Damon had the audacity to move the ring to the left, her eyes following it, then to the right with vampiric speed. Her eyes did not falter. Damon threw his head back and laughed.

"I will hurt you if you don't get to the point," she growled. Instead of cowing him, it egged him on.

"Or what? You'll break up with me?" He flashed before her, the humor gone from his face. Startled, she looked away from the ring to look into his eyes.

"No. That's not an option anymore. Marry me," he stated, sliding the exquisite ring on the appropriate finger.

"I noticed that wasn't a question," Caroline managed faintly, waiting to wake up.

"Nope. You're stuck with me."

Caroline began to cry.

Damon's eyes widened in panic. He watched helplessly as tears began to cascade down her face.

"Shit. We can do this again—I'll even get down on one knee if you want!"

A giggle managed to pull through and Caroline flung herself at him, squeezing him into the tightest hug she could muster. Looking up, she began to kiss him, trying to convey the emotions that she was felt. Joy, delight, pleasure, unadulterated happiness—there was so much and they were all positive feelings.

"...You're happy," Damon murmured in relief, their foreheads touching.

"...Yeah, but..." Caroline started hesitantly.

"But what?" Damon asked worriedly; wary.

"But next time you're getting down on one knee," Caroline finished, fixing him with a mild glare. It was replaced with absolute euphoria when she cradled her hand to look at the engagement ring on her finger.

"Next time?" Damon asked dubiously.

"Please, like we're going to get married once," Caroline kissed his cheek producing a grimace from Damon. She rolled her eyes and wiped her face, brightening further. "I have to go call Elena and Bonnie!" she yelled, practically skipping out of the room.

"Next time..." Damon didn't find the idea repulsive.

In fact, he found himself looking forward to it. Damon wondered how many proposals it would take before she finally got him to get down on one knee.

* * *

**I think my second try was waaayyy better. If you guys don't like this one better than the other, then I think I'll just have to jump ship.**

**Just kidding. **

**Feedback would be nice though. I'd like to know how I did with my first pure fluff one-shot.**


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